This thesis writing has become possible due to the constant contribution of certain individuals and they deserve a special mention. First and... Show moreThis thesis writing has become possible due to the constant contribution of certain individuals and they deserve a special mention. First and foremost, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my research advisor, Diane Stewart, who provided me the great opportunity to work on this unique research project. Her supervision, valuable guidance, advice, love and incessant support from the initial to the final level helped me develop a strong foundation on this subject. I am gratefully thankful to Dr. Carol Sheih for suggesting novel ideas to perform this research and for her overall contribution. I would also like to extend a deep thank to Christina Megalis for her guidance and high quality time in giving me training on this project. I am indebted to the thesis committee, Dr. Wei Zhang and Dr. Andrew J. Howard for accepting my request to be on the thesis defense committee. Their productive comments on this research work were very valuable. My special thanks go to Renee Mc Brien and David Griesemer for their constant encouragement during the time I spent at Institute for Food Safety and Health. I would like to show my gratitude to my friends, Xueyan Wang, Jingbo Wang and Yan Sun for their direct or indirect support in this research. Last but not the least; I would like to deeply acknowledge my parents and all my family members, for their moral, financial and emotional support. They are the constant source of inspiration for me and without their support; I would have never reached to this level in my life. M.S. in Food Safety and Technology, July 2013 Show less